Children Exposed To Arsenic Before Birth Are More Prone To Respiratory Infections

Pregnant women who had contact with arsenic will give birth to children at a higher risk of respiratory infections.

A study was recently published based on the effects on arsenic exposure on children before birth. The study was published by Dartmouth College. The study contained researchers from Dartmouth, Harvard and Stanford.

The study claims children of pregnant women who were exposed to arsenic are more prone to infections. Respiratory infections and symptoms are more likely to rise in such children. Especially in the first year of the children’s life infections will form.

The study was carried out on subjects from New Hampshire. The researchers measured arsenic levels in the urine of 412 pregnant women. The test allowed researchers to determine the amount of arsenic that each child was exposed to in the womb.

After birth a telephone survey was performed every four months. The survey assessed the number and severity of infections and symptoms the child experienced. Infants who were exposed to arsenic before birth had a greater numbers of infections. The children had a greater number of doctor visits as well.

"These results suggest that arsenic exposure may increase the risk and severity of certain types of infections," says senior author Margaret Karagas, a professor and chair of epidemiology at Geisel. "Respiratory infections and symptoms during infancy could signal a greater risk of later life atopy (the genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases) or respiratory impairment."

The study was led by Shohreh Farzan, a research scientist at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Arsenic exposure may increase the risk and severity of infections in children. Especially arsenic exposure during infancy could signal a greater risk of respiratory impairment.